1699

Government Code and Cypher School: Signals Intelligence Passed to the Prime Minister, Messages and Correspondence

Reference

HW 1/1699

Date

21 May 1943

Government Department

Government Code and Cypher School

File Accession Date

1993

Description

A file of signals intelligence reports, messages, and correspondence issued by the Government Code and Cypher School and sent by the head ('C') of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. This file contains a message from Brigadier LRC Hollis for the Prime Minister (PM); a BONIFACE summary; and the following reports on the Mediterranean: that civilians refuse to work on Alghero airfield after the Allied air raid, on May 17; of Allied air raids on Sardinian airfields, on May 20; the German Air Force (GAF) in Sardinia's final report for May 20; of attacks on Oran; of GAF Grosseto being put out of action by an Allied air raid, on May 20; of the GAF attack on Oran being switched to Djidjelli because of a lack of aircraft after the Allied raid, on May 20; of anti-aircraft artillery reinforcements heading to Sardinia, on May 19; that the GAF and German Army are short of fuel on Sardinia, on May 19-20; that German E-boats are to lay anti-landing mines off Sicily, on May 18; and that GAF officers and ME109s are to practice for the defence of Rome, on May 19. This file also contains a message from the Code and Cypher School (CSS) to Washington for the PM on May 21 including the following reports: from the Japanese ambassador in Rome, giving the German ambassador's views on Italy and the war situation, as of May 17; from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, giving excuses for Tunisia, and stating that the Axis has fully achieved its aims, on May 16; and on German reinforcements for Sicily, on May 19.